The Maid of Otherton
by lola-write-hand
Summary: Young and figety Evey Bolet came to the Island as a maid to Otherton's more lazy members. But she never knew she would be tossed head over heels into the dark secrets of the Dharma Initiative, along with the mystery that could change her life...or end it.
1. Chapter 1

FORWARD: _This was an idea of mine that I came across when I was cleaning. I thought of what it would be like if a maid were to be in Otherton during the time of Oceanic 815's crash, as Otherton's maid, the young fidgety Evey Bolet, finds her way to Ben's past life, and also figures out the dark secrets of the Dharma Initiative. This fic is not romance, just to let you know- so don't get your hopes up for a Ben/OC fic- because this isn't one of them. It's a bit of a mystery-suspense thing. I'm still trying it out so please read and review! _

_thanks! _

_lola_

* * *

"How are you with spiders?"

"Pardon me?"

"How do you deal with spiders? Kill them or let them out?" Harper Stanhope asked. Evey Bolet only stared, blue eyes wide open like a deer in the headlights as she crossed her Mary Jane shoes and sucked in a breath.

"Uh….that's debatable." She said, holding in her breath. "I suppose it depends on….how big the spider…is."

Harper scribbled something on her notepad. She glanced up at Evey, who stared at her nails nervously. Harper had been recruited by Ben to find a maid for Otherton, since many of the more sedentary members of the community had insisted upon it.

"Whatever Mr. Friendly wants, Mr. Friendly gets, eh?" Harper asked, after looking over the request. Ben rolled his eyes. "Yes."

Now, the girl sitting in front of Harper crossed and uncrossed her legs. She fiddled with her long jet black hair, and pulled a loose string from her skirt. She had been working in a diplomat's estate on the South tip of Fiji, and Harper had enticed her with a handsome salary, hoping she could find someone quickly. After all, she was the therapist. Not some coffee-fetching secretary.

"I sp-speak 3 languages." Evey went on, pressing her file forward on Harper's coffee table. "I worked in Sir Arthur Keith's home, and I'm an excellent scone perforator." She grinned at the last part. "I specialize in waffles."

"Do you like the island?" Harper asked, raising her already sky high eyebrows. Evey fidgeted, caught off guard, and grinned her pearly whites like a charming schoolgirl.

"It's beautiful." She said, not hiding her slight British accent. "Absolutely phenomenal."

"Good." Harper said. "Have you met Ben yet?"

Evey's eyes widened. "No." She said. "And- I must insist upon knowing if I have the job or not- Sir Keith is wanting to know."

"Call him and tell him you've got the job." Harper said carelessly, throwing her maid evaluation sheet into the wastebasket. "You start tomorrow." She handed Evey a stack of papers. "Among these are the book club schedule- you absolutely will not interrupt anyone for any purpose during the book club meetings- you'll serve refreshments." She handed her a clear bag with black fabric in it. "Here's your uniform- one of the Dharma stations has dry-clean, so get down there as often as possible. Oh, and here's your schedule of house-cleaning days. You'll notice Ben's house isn't on the schedule. You will not go in his house for any reason, unless you see gunmen over the horizon and one has shot and killed at least three. Understand?"

Evey nodded, frightened, and shuffled outside.

"So, how's the maid settling in?" Ben asked, as he watched Evey folding her clothes over the dry-clean area in the Dharma station. Harper shrugged. "She's like a bird- she's so fidgety." She faced him. "You still haven't met her yet."

"I don't need to meet her. She's a maid." Ben watched her carefully. She was almost ghostly looking; she bore skin the color of roasted porcelain, and her eyes were an alarming shade of blue. Her jet black hair appeared almost in a purple hue, and her stuttering could be heard miles away. She was klutzy, and she fidgeted like a child on caffeine. But she would do.

"For now." Ben said. "We'll take her."


	2. Chapter 2

_two_

The hum of the vacuum cleaner drained the sound of arguing from Evey's ears. She finished weaving around the furniture of Tom Friendly's guest room, and suddenly turned her attention to the living room, where Tom and Harper stared holes into her. She crept back into the room in time for her to hear a sentence.

"Just find them, Tom. Find Goodwin." Evey could hear the sound of high heels on the carpet, and gasped when she turned around to see the woman who had interviewed her.

"How are you doing?" She asked flatly.

"Fine." Evey smiled, receiving nothing in return from Harper.

"When was the last time you had your uniform dry-cleaned?"

The twenty-one year old maid bit her lip. "Yesterday?" She winced. Harper glanced at her from head to toe in a second, and then quickly swerved around, heading outside.

She heard the slam of the door, following by a low rumbling laugh.

"That Harper Stanhope's a sure sweetie." Tom said, to no one in particular. Evey heard the sound of a can of soda popping in the distance, and she glanced over the room once more, before stepping out into the hallway, into Mr. Friendly's view.

"You're house is done, sir." She said dryly. Tom smiled. "So, Ben finally gave in to get a maid, eh? What's your name?"

"I'm Evey, sir."

"Well, 'Evey,sir' I'm Tom Friendly."

"Hello, Tom."

Tom shuffled in his chair. "Did you vacuum around the furniture?"

"I was instructed to, sir."

A hearty laugh exploded from Tom's lips. "I was just messing with ya. So, Harper been on your case?"

Evey entertained the thought of asking him a question right back. She dared. "From what it sounds like, Harper's been on your case."

Tom's smile faded. "Mm." He mumbled. "Her husband's not….her husband, exactly. He's with someone else."

"You mean an affair?" Evey exclaimed, immediately covering her lips with her mouth, cursing herself for speaking out so stupidly.

"An affair?" Mr. Friendly mimicked. "You certainly are a maid. I hope you're not nosy. Been looking through my stuff, eh?"

"No. Of course not." She snapped.

"Well, then." Tom looked around, and whispered to her from across the room. "Yeah. It is."

Evey giggled. "This is a sick thought, but-"

"What?"

She sheepishly bit her lip. "I feel like one of the French maids in those ridiculous soap operas in the states."

"Otherton's a living soap opera." Tom cried facetiously. "Better be ready- there's a book club tomorrow. Harper'll feed you to the sharks." He gave her an encouraging smile.

* * *

Juliet Burke gazed at her puffy eyes in the oval mirror. She popped in a CD.

_When life is down, you can always go….downtown. _

She tried to keep herself together and composed, as she began to break down, tears streaming from her eyes. Again, she closed her eyes and searched her implacable mind, until she heard the sound of the smoke detector going off.

Evey, who was sweeping the back porch, came running as soon as she heard it.

"Juliet?" She asked, as blackened muffins rolled across the vinyl floor. Juliet saw her from her position on the floor, a surprised look spreading on her face. Juliet waved her arms. "I'm fine- just burnt." She said, her voice shaky. Evey quickly fetched a cold cloth and some tape, awkwardly wrapping the rag around Juliet's thumb, as the doorbell rang.

"Evey- please get the lemonade." Juliet said, tugging her blistering wound from Evey's grasp and lunging to answer the door. It was elderly Amelia.

"Ready for the book club?" She asked, adjusting her scarf. Evey glanced at her from behind the kitchen cabinet, as she picked up steaming black muffins that had sprawled themselves across the floor. Juliet wiped her brow and motioned. "Come inside." She said, with an air of casualty.

"It's not even literature." Replied a bald book club attendee. He pouted as Amelia spoke, her wrinkled face passionate. "And why isn't it literature?"

"There's no metaphor." The forties-something man adjusted his glasses. Evey peeked behind the door, feeling like a young child. All the cups were filled to the top with lemonade, so Evey slid down to the carpet, letting out a sigh as the muffled sounds of the civilized arguing over the Stephen King novel mulled over.

"Ben wouldn't read this in the bathroom!" The old man cried. Evey giggled as Juliet fired back. "This happens to be my favorite book. Excuse me for thinking free will still exists in-"

Juliet paused as the house began to shake. Evey looked up at the ceiling, as bits and pieces of it fell down like dust on her black hair. She stood up immediately, and filed out with all the book club attendees, leaving the hor'devors on the coffee table. Everyone ran outside, looking around as a sound pierced the air like a bomb. The yellow houses all stood erect, and the community all raised their eyes to the heavens, where a plane was making its way down the skies, in flame.

"Come on, Evey- get inside." The elder lady named Amelia pushed her. When she wouldn't budge, she shuffled her to the front porch, and into Juliet's house.

"Stay here." She said, running outside. Evey cried out in protest, but she was already gone. Obeying her orders, Evey paced, until she pulled back the lace curtains, trying to peek at the skies. Ben was shouting orders to Juliet's plumber and another man, who both ran off into the jungle. He glanced back at Juliet and Evey was puzzled.

"So this is Ben." She said to herself. Everyone ran in different directions. Juliet calmly waltzed back inside, and shut the door behind her.

"Ben told me to tell you not to ask any questions." Juliet said. Her tone changed, as she giggled. "Now, aren't you glad that horrible tragedy of a book club is over?" Evey smiled. "Oh yes, Ms. Burke."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: _Hope you like! Please read and review- I'm still testing this fic out to see if I'm going to elaborate on it- so if you like it, REVIEW! And if you don't like it, STILL REVIEW! :D ALSO, CHECK OUT 'ANNIE' and 'LOST: THE MUSICAL!" two other fics of mine that you might enjoy. R and R!_

_thanks, _

_lola_


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